1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water trickle type ice making machine, and more particularly to an attaching structure for a water storage tank.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional water trickle type ice making machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,291,752, 5,582,018, and 5,722,244. In the water trickle type ice making machines disclosed in these publications, a water storage tank is located below what is called an evaporator assembly provided with an ice making plate or an evaporator and is formed integrally with an ice making machine body. Further, in the conventional water trickle type ice making machines disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 60-46349, Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 60-32851 and Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 60-35016, a water storage tank and a circulating pump are detachably attached to the ice making machine by fixing means such as screws.
In the water trickle type ice making machines, since deposits, scale or the like are accumulated in the water storage tank itself or the peripheral part thereof under an operation for a long period, it is necessary to periodically clean and remove these deposits, scale or the like. However, in the above described water trickle type ice making machines disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,291,752, 5,582,018 and 5,722,244, since the water storage tank cannot be detached from the ice making machine body, it is inconvenient and difficult to clean the minute parts of the water storage tank. Further, in the conventional water trickle type ice making machines disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 60-46349, the Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 60-32851 and the Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. 60-35016, since the water storage tank cannot be easily detached from the ice making machine body, the cleaning work has been inconveniently troublesome and the cleaning work of the circulating pump has been undesirably difficult.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water trickle type ice making machine in which a water storage tank and parts attached thereto can be cleaned with ease.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a water trickle type ice making machine having an ice making chamber and a machine chamber.
A water storage tank is provided so as to pass through a partition wall part portion by which the ice making chamber is separated from the machine chamber, while extending over the ice making chamber and the machine chamber.
Also, the water storage tank is arranged so that it can be pulled out with respect to the ice making chamber and the machine chamber.
Further, preferably, a cube guide is integrally attached to an upper part of the water storage tank on the side of the ice making chamber and a pump motor is integrally attached to the upper part of the water storage tank on the side of the machine chamber. One of the cube guide and the water storage tank can be provided with ribs and the other of them can be provided with cut-out parts fitted to the ribs. The inner side surfaces of the partition wall part and the side wall part of the ice making chamber facing to the partition wall part may be provided with a pair of protruding parts protruding toward the center of the ice making chamber with their upper surfaces inclined downwardly toward the center of the ice making chamber and the pair of protruding parts abut against the upper part of the cube guide. Recessed parts are preferably formed respectively in the inner parts of the ice making chamber in the partition wall part and the side wall part of the ice making chamber and an evaporator assembly having an evaporator and an ice making plate is preferably mounted on the lower ends of the recessed parts. A collar shaped part may be formed in the end part of a drain pipe for draining ice making water which exceeds an upper limit water level in the water storage tank and the collar shaped part may be mounted on the upper surface of the bottom wall part of the ice making chamber upon assembly of the drain pipe.